Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 31 RETURNING STARTERS None OTHER RETURNEES Cam Wallace | R-So. Wallace entered the transfer por- tal when it opened but apparently had a change of heart and announced on Jan. 10 that he would be staying with the Nit- tany Lions. The 5-foot-9, 198-pounder from Mount Vernon, Ga., has played in only seven games in his first three years on campus, in part due to injuries. He suf- fered a season-ending injury against Kent State in 2024, and while he was healthy again this past season, he was trapped be- hind veterans Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton on the depth chart and carried only 6 times for 23 yards. Quinton Martin Jr. | R-So. Martin had totaled 32 yards on 13 car- ries — all as a true freshman — prior to the Pinstripe Bowl. The former four-star prospect from Belle Vernon, Pa., was viewed as a potential transfer, but he broke out against Clemson in December, totaling 101 yards on 20 carries. In the wake of that strong performance, the 6-1, 205-pounder announced he would be re- turning in 2026. NEWCOMERS Carson Hansen | Sr. Hansen rejoined Matt Campbell at Penn State after leading Iowa State with 950 yards on 187 carries as a junior. A second-team All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches, the 6-2, 220-pound running back scored a team-high 6 rush- ing touchdowns. He came to the Cy- clones as a three-star prospect out of Lakeville (Minn.) South High in 2023. James Peoples | Jr. Peoples was Rivals' No. 84 overall prospect nationally coming out of Veter- ans Memorial High in San Antonio in the 2024 cycle. He played in eight games as a true freshman at Ohio State but found himself stuck behind freshman Bo Jack- son last year. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, the 5-10, 206-pound Peoples totaled 541 yards and 5 touchdowns on 110 carries. D'Antae Sheffey | Fr. As a senior at State College Area High, Sheffey rushed for 1,610 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per at- tempt. Ranked by Rivals as the nation's No. 107 running back and No. 41 player in Pennsylvania, the 5-11, 195-pound Sheffey decommitted from Syracuse shortly before the December signing period and joined Penn State's class on Jan. 7. 2026 LOOK AHEAD RUNNING BACK Lions' Backfield Undergoes A Thorough Overhaul 2026 Outlook There are some big shoes to fill at this position group. Kaytron Allen leaves Penn State as the program's all-time leading rusher with 4,180 yards, while Nicholas Singleton ranks fourth after totaling 3,461 yards. Allen and Singleton monopolized the position last season, combining for 333 of the 376 carries that Penn State's running backs totaled in 13 games. Thirty-two of those 43 carries by other runners came in the Pinstripe Bowl, a game in which neither Allen nor Singleton played. The bowl gave Penn State a head start in its efforts to rebuild the backfield. Quinton Martin Jr.'s big day at Yankee Stadium showed he could be a real challenger for the start- ing job. While he's uncharacteristically lanky at 6-foot-1, he showed good vision against Clemson, repeatedly finding room to maneuver against a solid Power Four defense. That said, the competition appears to be wide open. Cam Wallace has flashed in lim- ited duty and could have a bigger role next fall. The Lions also added James Peoples from Ohio State and Carson Hansen from Iowa State, and they're set to welcome D'Antae Sheffey as a true freshman. With five scholarship running backs in the fold, the Lions have reestablished some of the depth they lost with the departure of Singleton, Allen and outgoing transfers Corey Smith, Tikey Hayes and Jabree Coleman. Penn State will also have a new assistant overseeing the backfield in Savon Huggins, who previously served in the same capacity at Boston College. Coming off a season in which Penn State ranked fifth in the Big Ten with an average of 174.4 rushing yards per game, Huggins will have plenty of talent to work with, but not much experience. — Matt Herb Six days after rushing for a career-best 101 yards against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, run- ning back Quinton Martin Jr. announced he was planning to return to Penn State for his redshirt sophomore season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS